A series circumstances that test the blood and bonds of each of the Strawhats.

— Will be a multi-chapter fic—

Robin's character and story just always makes me happy, okay? She deserves all the love.

Enjoy!

(Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any related characters)


"Loyalty and devotion lead to bravery. Bravery leads to the spirit of self-sacrifice.

The spirit of self-sacrifice creates trust in the power of love." ~Morihei Ueshiba

Usopp and Robin

~In which Enies Lobby is still fresh in everyone's minds, Usopp is brave, and Robin adores her nakama~

He wakes in the plumes of fog inside his own head.

The perpetual feeling of chills throughout his body coupled with a horrid, echoing ache stradling every one of his bones makes him desire the dark, unfeeling sleep he has just emerged from.

But something in his mind keeps telling him that he needs to be awake right then. That something was off. That he's left something alone despite it not being finished. Finished…

"Everyone get on the ship!"

"Marimo, everyone's back from town, c'mon!"

The unmistakable echo of a shotgun being prepped for firing.

"Zoro!"

Pain…

Usopp gasps, eyes snapping open.

He recognizes the room immediately, fear ebbing itself away at once. The infirmary. The Sunny. Safe.

Usopp sighs, and only feels the fear come back full force when a sudden hand pokes the tip of his nose. He shrieks comically, twisting his gaze around the room he could have sworn he was alone in.

"Good to see you awake," her gentle voice says just as Usopp's eyes land on her, sitting in the chair directly beside the bed. She has two arms blossoming from the chair arms, holding up a large novel in front of her face, and another one coming from the bed Usopp lays on. Her left arm is spread out on the mattress, a tube hidden beneath a pristine white bandage. Usopp recognizes Chopper's handiwork at once.

"Geez, Robin…" he mutters, trying not to sound as worried as he is, "you scared me."

"I assumed as much," she replies with a smile, "I should let Chopper know you're awake."

"Awake…" Usopp echoes, turning the word over in his head before he suddenly and vigorously attempts to sit up. Robin makes a small distressed noise, more hands appearing on him before Usopp can even feel the reason why.

The point all his pain seems to be emanating from.

He peers downward, ignoring the odd feeling of having so many gentle hands gripping his shoulders and arms despite not being part of a body, and focuses in on the red blossoming from white bandages across his abdomen.

"Oh…" he murmurs simply, allowing for Robin to push him back down.

She lays her book on the bed beside Usopp's leg, looking him in the eye, "You got yourself quite hurt."

"I can feel that," Usopp groans in reply, eyes flickering across Robin's face to try to determine if anything else was wrong other than with him. He's not sure he'd be able to tell even if there was.

Robin smiles tenderly, "Zoro is none too pleased with you as of right now."

"Uh oh," he murmurs, remembering the angry and startled shouts and the rough and large hands taking hold of him before blackness encompassed everything, "Is he going to kill me?"

"Highly probable," she responds with a light chuckle, "He's simply not used to being saved. Don't worry, captain-san won't let him."

Usopp gestures towards the tubing connecting Robin to himself, "You were alright with—"

"Of course," she says so sternly that Usopp feels taken aback, but she murmurs again moments later as gently as usual and with as much heart as before, "Of course."

They sit there for a moment in silence, Robin dismissing the hands that were still sprouting from the area around them with as little as a wave of her free hand.

"I like returning the favor with most of everything," she says a moment later, her voice speaking of the years she spent defending herself and doing things she wasn't proud of for the sake of surviving. But, also of memories from a harrowing day not too long before. Her smile perks the corners of her mouth up gently as she turns to reach for the door handle just behind her.

She pauses.

"Zoro may not be someone who is used to being saved, but neither am I," she says, hand touching the door handle lightly, "In terms of returning the favor, I would like this much to be expected of me. Please."

Usopp merely stares at her as she opens the door and calls out to the awaiting nakama outside. He can hear the overjoyed cheers from Luffy and Franky and the disgruntled yet relieved murmur from Zoro, who sounds to have been waiting just outside the door, as Chopper comes skipping gleefully inside with watery eyes. The sounds of the kitchen door opening and of heels clicking against the wood of the Sunny alerts him to the rest.

And throughout it all, from the checkup from Chopper to the constant babbling from Luffy and the half-hearted threats from Zoro, Usopp can't help but let his eyes wander to Robin's quiet form sitting further away than before, a small smile on her face as she looks to the group of people in front of her— lost in certain thoughts and wonders.

At once Usopp has not a shred of doubt left that, just as himself and everyone else on the ship, if she had to give every drop of blood to save her nakama, she would.

Without hesitation.